Comment by AnimalMuppet
5 hours ago
Wikipedia says that in a police state, the government exerts an extreme amount of control over society and individuals. That leaves "extreme" undefined, though, so it's subjective. (Also, you know, Wikipedia.)
I'm not the one you asked, but: Me, personally, I'd draw the line at the independence of the courts. If the courts are independent, if they can rule against the police for failure to prove their case or for procedural violations or whatever, then it's not a police state. If the police win the borderline cases (or worse, the clearly bogus cases) just because they're the police, then it's a police state.
Do you think the courts are independent?
Followup question:
Do you think public defenders are given adequate funding to ensure they can give proper defense to their clients?
Yes, I think courts are independent. No, I do not think that public defenders are adequate.